THE RURAL WEW-YORSCER. 
707 
and journalists, says the Druggists’ Circular. 
It is an especially noticeable fact that the 
more ignorant a parson, and the less common- 
sense he has, the more infallible remedies he 
can recommend..... 
The London Garden presents a beautiful 
colored plate of a new strain of zinnias called 
French Pompoms. The development of this 
race has been the work of many years, the 
strain combining a refined and fully double 
flower with a dwarf and neat habit of growth. 
It is an open question whether cheap liter¬ 
ature is helping us any toward becoming a 
thoughtful and reading people, says Charles 
Dudley Warner in Harpers’. 
Canada. 
Belmont, N. S., Oct. 4.—The hay crop, as 
a general thing, all over Nova Scotia is light. 
In some parts it is one-third below an average. 
Dry weather in June and July was the cause 
of tlm shortage. Since August we have had 
very wet weather which has helped the late 
hay and the after grass. The grain crops are 
fully up to au average. Potatoes are a light 
crop, and rotteni ng badly. Other vegetables 
are fair crops. The apple crop is allowed to 
be the largest ever raised hero. Large quan¬ 
tities are being shipped te) the U. S. Prices: 
hay, $10 per ton; potatoes in bulk, f. a. b., 
05 to 70 cents per barrel; turnips, carrots, 
beets the same; oats, 45 cents per bushel; 
barley, 00 cents, flour, $4.50 to $5.35 per bar¬ 
rel. L. D. 
Colorado. 
Boulder, Boulder Co., Oct. 5.— This coun¬ 
try is supposed to be remarkable only for 
scenery, but it is becoming remarkable for 
fruit also. Wo do not live quite on pure air. 
picturesque mountains and gorges, but find 
that with ordinary care aud water, of which 
the supply is usually ample, as our irrigating 
system is excellent, we can grow almost any 
fruit or vegetable. I have on my farm 15 va¬ 
rieties of grapes—amongst them Agawam, 
Delaware, Diaua, Brighton, Worden, Early 
Victor, Moore’s Early, Salem, etc., all doing 
splendidly. All small fruits do as well as pos- 
siblo. Strawberries yield not less than 5,000 
quarts to the acre, often much more, and I 
sold none at loss than 13! cents per quart. 
At first we got 35 cents per quart for black¬ 
berries, and the yield is said to be as much ns 
10,000 quarts per acre! I have the Hnusell, 
Herstine aud Turner Raspberries—Ilausell 
does worst; Herstine has the best flavor; Tur¬ 
ner fruits nearly till frost comes and is a very 
heavy bearer. (Jregg does well, and for black¬ 
berries I huvo Snyder, Wilson and Kittatiuny. 
We can grow apples here too. 1 have 40 trees, 
but they are not old enough to fruit except 
one crab only three years old, that bore Ihis 
year. A Weaver Plum, planted last year, 
fruited this. My Washington Plum grows 
about three feet each year. Eastern people 
are surprised at our fruit aud our mode of 
protecting it, as all small fruits aud grapes 
are laid down and covered with earth in the 
Fall. n. m. 
Illinois, 
Chicago, Cook Co., Oct. 13.—It is now over 
14 days since a drop of rain has fallen from 
Ohio to Kansas north of the Ohio River, aud 
also extending up into Minnesota and Dakota. 
I do not consider that the severe drought of 
the lute Summer and early Fall eon be said to 
have yet been broken in Missouri and Kan¬ 
sas. Whatever rains these two States have 
had came in streaks. These two States also 
report more of a decreased acreage in wheat 
than any other State in the wheat belt. Mich¬ 
igan, Ohio. Indiana and Illinois have this Fall 
put in, l think, fully as much as they did last 
season. When the winter wheat crop was 
first thrashed farmers rushed it to market us 
fast as they could, .os many wanted money, 
aud many hud been losers by holding their 
wheat for higher prices last .year aud the year 
before, and they wanted no risk this year. 
Many, too, who are able to bold their wheat 
refuse to sell at present low prices. Farmers 
in the spring wheat belt arc now doing exactly 
the same thiug as did the farmers in the win¬ 
ter wheat belt DU to DO days ago, and my ad¬ 
vices from that region are to the effect that 
the movement, of the crop lias never been as 
large for the same length of t ime as exists 
now. Corn is drying out slowly. The weather 
was too warm and hot. We need more severe 
frosts to dry up the sap. So far October has 
seen only two killing frosts. r. N. 
Now York. 
Utica, Oneida Co,, October 11.—The cheese 
market to-day ruled % cent lower than last 
week, and the result of the lower market was 
that some cheese was not brought out and the 
sales were over 2,800 boxes less than last week. 
The factory fiicR want, a higher price, not be¬ 
ing willing to take less than 11 or 12 cents 
for their September cheese, and the result 
was a somewhat cramped market. It may be 
that they will bo able to briug it up next week, 
os the stock is held back considerably, and if 
Other markets have done no bettor there will 
be a better demand next week. But the mar¬ 
ket. appears to have reached the top. The 
sales to-day were 9,422 boxes ruling at 11 i„ 
cents. Little Falls sold <1,301 boxes, ruling at 
11 cents. The butter supply is largely summer 
make aud does not bring what the producers 
wish, as the jobbers are looking for fine Sep¬ 
tember and October butter. This is not so 
easy to find. The latter sells readily for 25 to 
33 cents. August and early September but¬ 
ter sells for 22 to 25 cents. There is nothing to 
say about hops, There have been no sales, 
though some hops of a fair quality are offered 
for 80 cents. Bad reports of the condition of 
hop roots are in circulation. n. l. 
Ohio. 
Flushing, Belmont Co., Oct. 4th.— Crops 
are good. Apples abundant. G. w. d. 
Virginia. 
Richmond, Henrico Co., October 11.— 
Despite all the crop reports, estimating the 
shortage of tobacco by frost from 12 to 25 
per cent., this market has shown ouly a mod¬ 
erate'firmness, and no decided advance has 
been sustained. It is true that some few sales 
of desirable bright wrappers have been made 
at prices at which they were formerly refused, 
aud that fine cutters continue in strong de¬ 
mand, but of these, particularly fine-grade, 
the market has not boon over-stocked. The 
weather has been warm, and what little 
late tobacco is out will be benefited thereby. 
There has been some speculative feeling shown 
in hurleys, but manufacturers and others are 
too well stocked and manufactured goods are 
ruling too low for much advance. There has 
been no new tobacco offered in this market 
by which to judge of the crop, but iu the up¬ 
land market some fancy prices for cutters 
huve already been paid. On the whole, 
prices are steadier, the decline has been 
stopped and the outlook is toward better 
prices for all desirable dark and bright leaf, 
by gradual steps ouly. T. n. M. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
(Every query must be aeeompauled by the name 
and address of the writer to Insure attention. Before 
askings question, please see If It Is not answered In 
our advert lain# columns. Ask only a few questions at 
one time. Put queetlous on a separate piece of paper 
MAKING CUTTINGS OK GRAPES AND CURRANTS. 
IT. S. E., Orrirk , Minn. —1. When should 
cuttings of grapes and currants be made! 2. 
IV hat's the matter with ray G regg Raspberries i 
The cant's lie almost flat on the ground. The 
land is a heavy clay loam highly fertilized. 
Ans.— 1. Make cuttings of the now wood of 
currants, about six inches loug aud plant them 
somewhat diagonally iu mellow soil so that 
the top of tho cutting is just above the surface 
of the soil. Compact the soil about the cut¬ 
tings. Place them six inches apart if to bo 
transplanted, or, if not, plant them where 
they are to grow. They will sprout next 
Spring. Make cuttings of grapo-viuos with 
two joints, cutting just above the top joint 
and just, beneath the lower one. Treat these 
just the same as the currant cuttings. A fair 
proportion will sprout in the Spring. It is 
w’ell to cover the soil over the cuttings with 
straw or something of the kind held in place 
by sticks, branches or anything of the kind. 
3. The richness of the soil has produced, very 
likely, a rapid, succulent growth. The canes 
ought to have been supported. 
TRANSPLANTING BLACK-WALNUTS; TRIMMING 
GOOSEBERRY BUSHES. 
A. N. T.. Frankfort, Kuns. —1. Can oue- 
year-old black-walnut trees be transplanted? 2. 
Do gooseberry bushes need much trimming i 
Ans.— 1. Yes. Take them up carefully, so 
as to preserve all the fibrous roots. Cut off a 
part of the tap-root. Do not expose them to 
the air. Keep them moist and covered from 
the moment they are lifted until planted. 2. 
All old wood that has borne say three crops 
should be removed, and so much of the young¬ 
er wood as to give the bush uu ojicu form, 
with the stems equally distaut from one an¬ 
other. If otherwise the berries are liable to 
mildew and roL {Severer pruning will give 
larger and fewer berries. It should bo borne 
iu mind that both tho gooseberry and currant 
fruit mainly on wood that is two years or 
more old, aud that too much of such wood 
should not be removed, Cut out all old 
gnarly or diseased wood. Keep the bushes 
shapely. 
PERIOD OF GESTATION IN A MARE: KEEPING 
MANGELS. 
W. C. W., Shrewsbury, Mass .—Tho aver¬ 
age period for a mare to carry the foal is 44 
weeks or 11 months. There is nothing exact 
about it, however. With 583 marcs observed 
in France, the longest period of gestation was 
419 days; the shortest. 387 days and the aver¬ 
age 330 days. Many notions are common 
among farmers to the effect t hat a small marc 
will carry her foal for a shorter time than a 
largo one, and that a horse colt will be carried 
longer than a marc colt. These observations 
arc not confirmed by scientific observation. 2. 
The Mammoth Long lied and Yellow Globe or 
Golden Tankard Mangels are both good—we 
prefer the latter. They are stored iu pits or 
cellars. They should be protected from the 
frost, for they are as easily injured as potatoes. 
They should be made dry before storing. 
Ventilation is needed where the mangels are 
stored in pits. An easy way to provide this is 
to nail four boards together so as to form a 
square long box. This is placed down among 
the mangels so as to project some four inches 
above the top. When the last covering 
is put on this box can be drawn out and 
the hole filled with straw. When fed to cows 
the mangels should be sliced or pulped. .Sheep 
can gnaw them when in larger pieces that 
might choke cattle. 8. The Purple-top White 
Globe turnip is very popular. 
BEET LEAVES AS FEED. 
L. B. Son, Gaines, N. Y. We do not 
thiuk the leaves of beets would injure the milk 
of your cows. We have fed them in small 
quantities without noticing any ill effects. 
Wc have never fed them in the quantity that 
you propose to use. As compared with ordi¬ 
nary corn fodder, the beet leaves would be, 
chemically considered, a better food for milk 
than tho fodder. The leaves contain more 
protein ami fat, but less of the carbohydrates. 
Still, no chemist can analyze an appetite, and 
practical fcoiling alone can determine the ex¬ 
act value of anv ration. 
Miscellaneous. 
C. A. T., New Brunswick , N. J. —1. What 
is the average wholesale price of mushrooms 
iu New York during Winter? 2. Would 
burning a strawberry bed to kill tho weeds 
hurt the berry roots ? 
Ans. —This question can hardly be answered 
satisfactorily. Last year the price varied 
from 85 cents to $1.25 per pound, with an 
average of about 75 cento. There is a good 
demand for all that can bo offered. They are 
mostly sold directly to mavketmen or grocers 
without passing through the bauds of middle¬ 
men. Mr. Henry Kelley, 85 Washington 
Market, New A'ork, handle's mushrooms. 2. 
No. The best way to do it, supposing the 
laud to be free from stones, is to run over the 
rows lengthwise slowly with the mower, leav¬ 
ing the eufc foliage on the rows until it is dried 
sufficiently to burn readily. If that’s not 
enough, strew along the rows sufficient of the 
cheapest available combustible matter, and 
when the wind blows lengthwise ot the row's, 
set lire to the stuff at the windward ends. It 
is, however, usually better to get one good 
crop of largo berries aud turn under the vines, 
as the second crop is usually inferior iu size 
aud quality, iu that case rotate, setting out a 
new bed iu a different place. 
L. 11., Nora Scotia ,—Agents are selling Rus¬ 
sian mulberry trees about three feet high for 
$1 apiece. Are they worth it? 
Ans.—T ho Russian mulberry is a very in¬ 
definite name. It means no more than Amer¬ 
ican chestnut or American fruit of any kind. 
Tho fruit is, so far as we have seen or heard, 
quite inferior to the kinds sold by nursery¬ 
men—though the most of the trees are harilier. 
But we do not see why the Russian mulberry 
should be valued for hardiness alone, siuce 
there are handsomer aud hardier trees aud trees 
more valuable for timber. Iu any case, the 
price ($1.00) is too much. 
D. D. W., OlneyiHUe, /?. I .—Has the Akebia 
quinata ever seeded at the Rural Grounds? 
Ans. —The Akebia rarely fruits. We have 
carefully examined tho flowers and find that 
the pistils and pollen do not seem to mature at 
tho same time. Some say that a northern ex¬ 
posure is favorable to fruiting. About 10 
years ago wo gave a picture of the bean-like 
fruit Would be glad to receive a few seeds. 
F. S. W., Sweetwater , Torn. —1. What s a 
grape with a dark red juice, and sour enough 
to make good jelly i 3. Does the Clinton rot 
at tho South? How can rot iu grapes be 
prevented ? 
Ans. —1. Norton’s Virginia isoua of the best 
for red wiue and will also make good jelly. 
2. Not that we kuow of. There is no way to 
prevent rot. For red wine, we would also 
suggest Cynthiaua and Lenoir. 
H. L. C. Charlton , Mass .—I am a little puz¬ 
zled what to do with my grape vines to keep 
the mice from eating them the coming Win¬ 
ter. They nearly destroyed some of them last 
Winter by gnawiugthe viues into short pieces, 
and this season they have beeu eating the 
grapes from the vines. I set the vines near 
the wail. Would copperas sprinkled about 
tho vines drive the mice away and would it 
injure the vines? 
Ans. —We doubt if the copperas would be 
effectual. The only remedy that occurs to us 
is to set a number of the common mouse traps 
near the vines, haited with cheese or something 
that the mice are very fond of. 
G. H. G., Tenajiy, N. J .—What steam 
heater is small enough to heat a wooden coun¬ 
try house of small size—sav 15 x 15? 
Ans. —We should not think it advisable to 
use steam to heat so small a house. The Ray¬ 
mond Furnace Company,of 70 Beekman street. 
New York, make steam heaters of various 
sizes, aud can probably furnish you with such 
a heater as you may desire. 
J, T., No. Madison, Ind. —Is the World 
Manufacturing Company. New York, reliable 
aud is the Woolwich gun the fine article repre¬ 
sented in their ads? 
Ans. —The World Manufacturing Company 
is reliable, and the gun is, we think, well worth 
the priee asked for it. 
C, A, /?,, New York .—Unfermented wine or 
grape juice is practically a ’preserve.” It is 
not wine at all. To make it express the 
juice from the grapes, sweeten to suit the 
taste and place in porcelain kettles over a 
good fire. Bring to a boil and skim off any 
impurities which may arise. Place hot in bot¬ 
tles or jars and seal tightly. Keep in a cool, 
dark place. 
E. L. .If., Charlemont, Va. —For informa¬ 
tion concerning Devon cattle write to J. Buck¬ 
ingham, Zanesville, Ohio. We understand 
the American Devon Record to be the only 
registry in this country for Devon cattle. 
W. H. 0., Montague, N. J .—Who in New 
York receives early lambs for sale? 
Ans. —Jelliffe Wright <fe Co., 13, 15 and 17 
Centre Row, West Washington Market, New 
York City. It is of course better to send an 
invoice with the shipment. 
F. R., Summit Station ,—The Belden agency 
of this city have thus far given satisfac¬ 
tion, so far as we kuow. The gun they offer 
is probably worth the money. We think you 
will obtain satisfaction from them. 
Several Subscribers ,—The list of book prem¬ 
iums will be published with the account of the 
Free Seed Distribution in our Thanksgiving 
Number—issued November 13. 
A. E. if, Newark, N. J. —The grape sent 
for name is of the JEstivnlis class resembling 
Herbemont. 
J. .4. G., Marion, Va. —We think you will 
like the ’’rustless” iron water pipes better than 
auv others. The “Rustless” iron costs more 
thau others; but it is cheaper iu theend,as it is 
safo aud clean. It is positively rustless, unless 
broken or cracked. 
J. W. G., Mattituck , L. I —The wheat 
sent for name seems to lie the Clawson. 
DISCUSSION. 
H. R. Jr., Brookfield. Mass.—F or the in¬ 
formation of an inquirer in a late Rural I 
would say that the true name for Squantum 
Corn is Potter’s Excelsior. It was introduced 
by Thomas Potter, of East Providence, R. I.— 
a seed and vegetable grower. There is in 
Providence, a Squantum Club, the members 
of which go fishing iu Narragansett Bay 
every Summer, and always take along with 
them Potter’s Excelsior Corn, because of its 
excellent quality. Hence the name of Squan¬ 
tum Com. 
Communications Received for the Week Ending 
October 16. 1886. 
C. A. O.-G. O.-H. H., Jr.—I. W. G.—H. L. C.—A. G. 
n.-s. w. h.-p. s -e. s. b.-a. e. h.-j. p. h.-e. p. 
J.H.-A. It. P.-F.D. 0. -H.S.-A. E. M. B.—M. B.—A.B. 
J. H. K. H.P. X. K. \V. r.-F. C. H. K.-H. M. M.— 
T. E. H.-A. J. C-.-H. H.-E. W P.-.L H. R. K., many 
thanks—T. S. N.—L. C H.-J. T.-J, G.-H. s. K.-L. H. 
M. II. U.-F.S. W -F. T. -F. E. H.-E. A B.-P. B.-H. 
M. E. A S. M. P. W.—T. 11. H, -T. V. M.-U. n. 
3M.srrUancou.$ ^dvtm.snig. 
DIXON'S '^Carburet of lion” Stove Polish was 
established In l-ctT, and Is to-day. as It was then, the 
neatest and bristliest In the market; a pure plumbago, 
giving off no poisonous vapor*, the size Is now doub¬ 
led and cake weighs m arly half a pound, but t ho quali¬ 
ty and price remain the same. Ask your goocer for 
Dixon's big cake. 
LADIES 
Wc make a specialty of giving 
premiums for the forming of Tea 
Clubs for our pure fens and Cot 
fees. We del'y the world on 
price aud uuality. No house gives same quality 
goods amt premiums, A tiosl of useful and ornamen¬ 
tal article- to select from, stiver plated Castors tor *5, 
4 ml *1 orders. XR Silver ptotedToa 
S. is, elegant designs, U L Mil forkibaud «u0 or¬ 
ders-. Ilf beau 11 f u 1 nr fill Gold baud China 
'Dm Sec or handsome Decorntoct Dinner 
Set, H Rose toilet Set. Gold aud Silver Watches, 
Clock*, etc. Illustrated price and premium list, aud 
full particular* sent free HPEClAi, OFFER t To 
every truth person that answer* this 
advertisement, tv® will send free one 
iiu,i nd of choice Tea. Write at oueo. 
X M ATION rvlj 
Tea aud Coffee Company, | b mas° n ’ 
ur r rsii: 10 
THIS 
